Gavin grinned as he looked at the crumpled letter in his hand. It had only just arrived. He knew it was from Nines. The faded paper, dried dirt, and creases told him as much. He was the only person on the front he expected to write to him. He also recognised the neat swirl of his handwriting. Pretty cursive. It would have looked nice written in fountain pen, but ballpoints were the standard on the front. They were less likely to smear, and easier to refill and transport. He slipped the letter into his pocket as he hobbled down from his room on the second floor to visit Elijah on the first.

It had been three weeks since Nines left. He was getting used to the cane now. He could even take normal steps without wobbling, though he always gripped the banister on the stairs. It was his regular check-up day. He rarely had them with Elijah. This was the first since he'd been fitted. The pain was still there. That raw, burning rub against his skin. He started suspecting that the prosthetic might be the cause. The thing had been strapped to his leg pretty much daily, and he'd seen little improvement. He knocked and entered as Elijah called from within.

"Gavin! Come in..." He smiled over his shoulder as Gavin shut the door and crossed to the examination table. He didn't waste any time as he hopped up. Elijah scratched his head with the end of his pencil as he finished up the papers on his desk. It looked like a weird diagram, probably another new toy he was designing. He slipped the pencil into his messy tail before giving Gavin his full attention. "How have you been?" Gavin was pretty sure he was talking about the prosthetic. His brother rarely cared about anything else.

"It's a little sore..." Gavin replied as he reached down to loosen the laces. He knew Elijah would want to check both the prosthetic and his stump. Chloe had made him a little cotton cover for his leg, sort of like a thick sock. He tugged it off so that Elijah could press and examine the raw pink skin beneath. His brow furrowed a little as he lifted beneath his knee. Gavin tried not to squirm and twitch as he ran his thumb along the dark scars and rubbed the angry pink swelling. He hummed as he turned his attention to the prosthetic itself, clicking his tongue in thought.

"It shouldn't be bothering you this much by now...I'm sure the measurements are right..." He moved off to a small workbench, where he picked up a tool to check the diameter. Gavin waited awkwardly. It had been a while since he'd spent any sort of time with his brother. They never even crossed paths around the mansion. He was always shut up in his office working or seeing other patients. Gavin almost resented the fact he'd been brought here as a toy to be picked apart and played with when it suited him. "You're right about the soreness. You've been rubbed raw." Tell me something I don't phcking know...

"Well done, genius. Want to tell me why?" Elijah ignored the griping tone as he grabbed a dilation tool. He couldn't do this too much. The wood wouldn't expand indefinitely. If he pushed too much, it would crack. He worked slowly, pressing and teasing the wood and leather base. Hopefully, all he needed to do was give him that extra millimetre of space.

"The fit might be a little too tight..." Gavin ground his teeth as Elijah finished and returned to the table. "What about the thigh strap? Any problems there?" Gavin shook his head. The corset was a pain in the ass to lace every morning, but it was snug and secure with Chloe's cotton sock in place. It didn't hurt the way the base did when it press against his stump. Since there were no further problems, Elijah handed the leg back with a nod. Gavin seemed unconvinced as he took it back and slipped it on.

"It doesn't feel too different..." It was still good and tight. Having said that, there was maybe a little more give around the leather base. Maybe his stump was sitting a little more comfortably. Still hurts though...Elijah didn't seem surprised as he stepped back and checked his charts. Besides the persistent soreness, things were going well. It would be a while before he was fully confident with the cane, but he was making excellent progress. His medication level had dropped significantly. He had a bottle of strong painkillers in the event the phantom pain became too much, but the series of antibiotics had finished and he no longer needed to be medicated on a daily basis. He noticed Chloe had prescribed an ointment for the soreness, but that was to be expected.

"I wouldn't expect it to with the current swelling, but it should show improvement in a few days...If you feel no difference within a week, then come back and I'll measure you up for a new prosthetic." It sort of seemed a waste to toss the whole thing, but there was probably a reason for it. "How about the cane? How's the height?" Gavin was pretty sure it was all good, but Elijah had him stand up anyway. He walked around him, assessing with his eyes. The cane was the height of his wrist. Good...He had him do a circuit of the small office so that he could watch and check his posture. He wasn't quite straight yet, but balance would come with time. "Excellent." Gavin rolled his eyes. "How are you coping besides your injury?" Excuse me? Was he really doing this? After a decade of disinterest?

"Don't phcking do that." Elijah paused, tilting his head with an almost wounded air. "Don't pretend you give a damn beyond your little science project." That was probably a little harsh, but the fucker had it coming. He'd run off to college and never looked back. Even when Gavin had left home to get away from the shame of being an outcast, he hadn't cared. Elijah held the chart a little closer, something sad in his greenish eyes. Their eyes were one of the few things they had in common. Elijah was taller and slimmer, with a slightly longer facial structure. He also kept his hair longer and preferred to be clean shaven, while Gavin had kept his stubble.

"That isn't fair..." Gavin almost snarked at the quiet objection. That isn't fair? What the hell did fairness have to do with anything?

"You know what isn't phcking fair? Being run out of your own family just because your mum was a hooker! Finding out you've been a phcking burden for eighteen years and being pushed out on your own! That's what's not fair!" He didn't mean financially. His father had seen to that. He didn't throw it at him, but he never let him go without basic needs. He'd gotten him an education and seen him into the armed forces. It was the emotional isolation. The person he'd thought of as a mother despised him. His father barely gave a shit beyond his reputation. Elijah hadn't cared when he returned home to find him gone. He'd barely checked in at all.

"You weren't run out!" Gavin scowled at the lie. "Not by me. I never disowned you. I never abandoned you!" He was pretty insistent considering he was never fucking there. He'd had his head buried in his projects since his teens. He'd never had time for him. Not ever.

"What a crock of shit! You never called! You never wrote! I didn't even hear from you until I was a prime phcking specimen for your science project!" Heat swirled in Gavin's chest as the years of pent up resentment finally spilled out. Elijah seemed just as upset as he tossed the chart aside and walked right up to the edge of the table.

"You told me not to! You said you didn't need me to take care of you!" Silence fell as they finished yelling. Gavin's throat tightened. I didn't need you to take care of me! That didn't mean I didn't need you to at least phcking look at me! "I thought about you all the time." Gavin scoffed at the notion. "It's true! Look here..." Gavin watched warily as Elijah crossed the room to open a small cupboard against the wall. Inside there was a large metal safe for some of his more sensitive papers and private documents. He twisted the knob with a series of clicks before opening the door and waving an arm at it, stepping away to give Gavin space to see.

"What is it?" Gavin murmured warily as he used the cane to walk over. He nudged the heavy door wider as he looked inside. There was a stack of neat files. Papers and documents for his latest inventions. Important papers and banking information. In the corner were three stacks of tightly bound envelopes. Clean and sealed. Addressed and never sent. He frowned suspiciously as he grabbed the string of one of the tied up stacks. Elijah crossed his arms vulnerably, avoiding his gaze as he looked over the papers. They're addressed to me...They're all addressed to me! "The phck?"

Gavin's mouth felt dry as he leaned on the window ledge and pulled the string loose with shaking hands. He put the stack on the sill beside him as he picked up one of the letters and opened it. He pulled out the paper to find Elijah's neat writing staring back at him. Dear Gavin, The weather in England is cold. Not so much the temperature, but the bite in the air. It cuts right to the bone. Chloe seems to have adjusted well to life here. Our preparations to open the hospital are going well. We expect to be ready to start treatments within the month. Perhaps you could come and see the place for yourself, if you have some leave saved. I'd like to see you again, brother. Take care out there. Eli. Gavin swallowed as he reached for the next one. This one was after the hospital had opened, telling him about their first patient and how hard he was finding it.

"How far back do these go?" Most of the envelopes were addressed to the resting station he was at before, but others traced back further. Other parts of France. Other field stations. Places he hadn't been to in months. Places he didn't even think Elijah knew about. Elijah shrugged evasively as he looked at the open safe.

"A year? Maybe two? I have more back in America..." He'd been writing to him all this time, and never sent them? Not a single letter?

"Why didn't you send them?" Gavin clenched his teeth against the rising swell in his chest.

"Fear of rejection, perhaps...I didn't think you'd open them..." Gavin wiped his eyes as he felt them tearing up. He left the stack of letters as he got to his feet and limped his way across to Elijah, who hastily reached out to catch him as he stumbled. He'd left his cane against the windowsill beside the letters in his haste. Gavin gripped him tightly, burying his face in his larger shoulder. He hadn't been held like this in years. Not since they were boys.

"You're such a phcking idiot!" Gavin sobbed, trembling more as Elijah tightened his hold and gripped his hair. He didn't argue the point. He also didn't point out that Gavin had been just as stubborn. "Can I read them?" he asked quietly, feeling Elijah stiffen a little. He seemed a little bashful as he drew back and ran a hand over his tied up hair.

"They're your letters." Despite relenting, he seemed a little embarrassed as Gavin retied the stack and snagged the other two sets. He had a lot of catching up to do. "Perhaps...would you like to eat lunch together? I have patients until two o'clock, but if it's not too late..." Elijah seemed hopeful as he trailed off. It was getting on for twelve. That would give him a couple of hours to catch up on what he'd missed.

"Yeah...sure, I'll see you in the dining hall." Elijah smiled warmly as he nodded, and Gavin could leave. Back in his room, he sat on the bed with a groan, tearing off the prosthetic before settling on the bed. He pulled Nines' letter from his pocket, torn between the two tasks. It wouldn't hurt to read his first...He opened it with eager fingers and smiled as he hunkered down in the pillows. He could almost smell the antiseptic as he looked it over.

My dearest Gavin, Your letter arrived just days after our return, and I was touched to receive it. I don't need to tell you how life is here, so I hope you understand what your words mean to me. I would very much like a picture of you to keep me company on these long nights. The weather is warmer, but it will take more than a little sunshine to chase the chill from this place. Life is busy as men come and go. We've barely been back two days, and Connor and I are already spent. Sixty is, of course, in his element. It is my intention to return as soon as possible, so keep up with your training. I often return to the forest to think of you and our time together, though the opportunities are limited. Please write often. Sending you my deepest affections, Nines. Phcking sap! Gavin was pretty sure his cheeks were going to split open he was grinning so wide. Nines missed him. He returned the letter to its envelope before placing it on his bedside table with the crumbling little ring. He'd write back later. After he'd read Elijah's letters and had lunch. He could tell him how it went, and maybe what bridges had been rebuilt.

After reading all those letters, Gavin was pretty sure he owed Elijah an apology. If he'd received them all at the time of writing, they probably wouldn't be special. They were just mundane bits and pieces about his day, carrying on as if he'd already sent the others. The only consistent theme in all the letters was the closing. He always signed off by letting him know he was welcome to visit. That he wanted him to visit. That he had so much to tell him. So much to show him. Gavin couldn't erase the past and all those years they hadn't spoken, but he could let them start again.

Elijah seemed more than happy with that as he met him in the lunch hall. He arrived exactly on time, green eyes flitting around eagerly until he spotted Gavin at a small table. He gave him a bright smile as he took the spare seat across from him. A maid hurried over to see what she could get them, and then they were alone. It was awkward at first. Gavin didn't know what to say after all that time, and Elijah had so much to say that he didn't know where to start. He was so jittery that he seemed nervous.

"Chloe said you received a letter this morning." It didn't really surprise Gavin that they were starting with him. Elijah had just as much to catch up on as he did, though he was pretty sure Chloe had kept him up to date on most of it. The mention of the letter sparked a grin on Gavin's face as he remembered. He'd definitely write back later. "How is he?" From Gavin's face, he was pretty sure he knew.

"He's tired, but in good spirits...I want to send him a portrait...I promised to show him my new cane," Gavin excused sheepishly as he tapped the elegant stick at his side. "Thanks, by the way...I never would have afforded something like this." It was custom made. Custom made was expensive. All the embossing and engraving would have made it more expensive, too. Left to his own devices, he likely would have grabbed any old stick from a cheaper store. It wouldn't have been made to his exact height, so it would likely have been less comfortable.

"Well, I couldn't let you use just any old thing. The better the tools, the faster the recovery," Elijah excused as some tea was brought. Once it was laid out, he took it upon himself to do the pouring. He tipped a little milk into the bottom of his cup, then did the same for Gavin. It had taken him a few weeks to get it right, but he'd finally found the right balance. These British etiquette rules were difficult to follow. He'd usually pour the tea first back home. "Chloe has a camera somewhere...I'll send her along later, if I see her." If you see her? Gavin raised an eyebrow at that.

"You don't think you will?" he asked curiously as he dropped a lump of sugar in his cup. He stirred slowly, knowing it would take a while to melt. Elijah didn't seem too bothered as he raised his own cup.

"I'm not sure...She's very busy, you know." Gavin sighed internally. She's only busy because you make her busy! Her office was only on the first floor, just a little further down from Elijah's. It wasn't like she was unreachable. Would it kill you to put your head round the door? He could see what Chloe meant.

"You have to work around that! When was the last time you saw her?"

"This morning when she brought the post." Bringing the post would have taken two minutes. "Before that it was...yesterday afternoon. I reviewed a few charts with her and we discussed medication levels for a few of our newer guests." That was work related! Gavin almost sighed as he sipped his tea. No wonder Chloe thinks he loves work more than her! It was troubling that Elijah didn't seem to think there was anything strange about that.

"Eli, she's your fiancé, not your nurse!" The tilt of Elijah's head suggested he didn't really understand the difference. Chloe was both. "When was the last time you two just...did something together? Something that didn't involve medicine or charts or your crazy inventions," Gavin specified as he leaned forward. Elijah fell silent as he thought. Things had pretty much been non-stop for over a year now. As soon as they'd started this venture when they'd first entered the war, they'd been busy. Planning, designing, moving, ordering supplies, taking on staff, and then beginning treatments. "Really, Eli?" Gavin couldn't believe it.

"I suppose things have been rather busy, what with the war..."

"That's not an excuse! She's a woman, Eli! She won't stick around if you neglect her like that! Do you still love her? Is that the problem?" Elijah seemed shocked at the very idea. That was a terrible thing to say. He felt more than a little wounded, though Gavin was less than apologetic.

"Of course I love her! She's my fiancé." He said it as if that alone was enough. Making someone your fiancé wasn't a done deal. There was still time for Chloe to back out, and from what Gavin had seen with Connor, she was already halfway there. If Connor could prove he'd treat her right in the long run, there was a good chance Elijah would lose her.

"Exactly, you numbskull! She's your fiancé, not your wife! You've dragged out your engagement for almost two years! How do you think she feels about that?" He wasn't going to tell him. He wasn't going to go behind Chloe's back and out her. That didn't mean he wouldn't kick Elijah into doing something about it, though. Elijah almost sighed as he sat back and waved his arm around the room. Gavin knew what he was getting at. When did they have the time between everything else they were doing? You phcking make time when it's important!

"We've had an extraordinarily busy year." Gavin didn't doubt that, but it wasn't an excuse. "Chloe understands. She knows how important our work is." Gavin held back from pointing out that it wasn't her work at all. She was only going along with it because she was his fiancé and she loved him.

"When was the last time you did something small? Ate with her, bought her flowers, took her to dinner, went dancing? She used to love dancing!" Gavin remembered the first time she'd dragged Elijah out onto a dancefloor. He'd been completely out of his element. His hold had been shaky and uncertain, and he'd barely managed to follow her feet. Chloe had just been happy to have him there. It was rare to get Elijah to leave his studies, even back then before college. "Look, if you want to keep her, you have to show her you still love her. Make some time! Do the little things!" Christ, I shouldn't need to tell you this shit!

"She knows I love her..." He sounded less certain this time. Phcking finally!

"When was the last time you told her?" It seemed he couldn't remember. "You don't have to do anything big or flashy, just do something!" He was pretty sure Chloe would even see something as small as a kiss on the cheek as a big improvement. Elijah seemed thoughtful as he sipped his tea. Gavin hoped he was making some sort of plan in that big head of his. "I read some of your letters..." It was about time that he showed an interest in Elijah's life. "What made you think of starting all this?" That hadn't been in the letters. If he'd ever written about it at all, it was probably in the piles he had back in America.

"Ah, well...it was one of the few ways I thought I could be useful...I'd already trained as a doctor and seen what these men had to live with. I always loved tinkering with mechanics and building things, so moving into prosthetics seemed the next logical step. It was that or joining the medical corps, and I'm no soldier." That was an understatement. He was a fucking twig. The breeze in France would have snapped him in two. "With my skill set, and the designs I already had available, a few doctors in Britain took an interest in my work. They helped me hire the estate, gather staff and equipment, and here we are...A long-term rehabilitation clinic for the injured." Injured officers. Gavin didn't say it out loud, but he knew from speaking to them that all the patients were ranked. Ranked and often rich. Maybe not gentry, but mostly approaching upper class. The care and advanced prosthetics came at a price. Gavin was lucky to be related to Elijah and under his direct care.

"You know, I sort of expected you to go into engineering and build a robot." He always used to be tinkering with something. Broken toys, kitchen items, bicycles. He'd been sketching anatomy and robotic limbs for years. Elijah smiled and nodded at the thought.

"That was my plan a long time ago, but with my knowledge of anatomy and high grades in the sciences, it made sense to become a doctor." He left out the part where his mother had pushed him into it and his father had pointed out the money to be made. The world would always need doctors. It didn't need robotic men. "It's a good thing I did," Elijah added as he tapped Gavin's foot under the table. Gavin huffed.

"Sure, rub it in, why don't you," he grumbled playfully as he drank his tea. He'd let Elijah have that one. He huffed softly as they continued. It looked like he'd have a lot to tell Nines later.